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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28161945">not a burden</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_forgotten_daydreamer/pseuds/the_forgotten_daydreamer'>the_forgotten_daydreamer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!! • ハイキュー!! [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Bisexual Bokuto Koutarou, Bisexual Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto and Kuroo are 25. Akaashi and Kenma are 24., Bromance, Dissociation, Fainting, Fever, Gay Akaashi Keiji, Gay Kozume Kenma, Gen, Hospitals, Insecure Bokuto Koutarou, M/M, Mild Hallucination, Mild Language, Panic Attacks, Passing Out, Platonic Bokuroo, Sick Bokuto Koutarou, Sickfic, Vomiting, haikyuu sickfic, minor manga spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:27:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28161945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_forgotten_daydreamer/pseuds/the_forgotten_daydreamer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi is currently far from home, and he begs for Kuroo’s help when he learns that his husband is sick. Bokuto claims that he’s doing okay, that he doesn't need any help.<br/><br/>They <em>almost</em> believe him.<br/><br/>Good thing they don’t.<br/></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Bokuto Koutarou &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!! • ハイキュー!! [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>220</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>not a burden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akaashi’s left leg bounced repeatedly as long, slim fingers moved on the keyboard, typing each word without a single mistake. And yet, the young editor couldn’t bring himself to focus nor to care about the project he’d been working on since the beginning of that seminar, two days prior.</p><p>While Akaashi had always done his best in whatever life had put him through, never neglecting his work nor his duties, the man couldn’t shake the feeling that he shouldn’t have been there.</p><p>The reason behind Akaashi’s dreadful foreboding was simple: that morning, when he’d called his husband to wish him a good day, Bokuto hadn’t picked up for a whole minute, and when he did, he sounded absolutely wrecked, voice shaky and rough. Akaashi had immediately noticed, being who he was, but Bokuto had downplayed his obvious discomfort and claimed that it was a simple sore throat and nothing more. </p><p>For approximately thirty seconds, Akaashi had believed him, but when Bokuto had very much evidently gagged into the receiver, the editor knew that he needed to leave for Tōkyō as soon as he could.</p><p>Without even warning his boss, nor caring that he was going to miss the following three days of the seminar he’d paid for, the teal-eyed man had put together his belongings, neatly arranged in the hotel room, and had unceremoniously shoved them into his navy-blue trolley, ignoring how his brand-new linen shirts were going to be crumpled, or how the soap could’ve opened and spilled inside the luggage. </p><p>That was three hours prior, but Akaashi hadn’t left that tiny hotel room yet: the first train available wasn’t until past six in the afternoon, and it was barely lunchtime now.</p><p>There wasn’t much he could do, if not asking for someone’s aid. Despite his initial reluctance, there was someone he could’ve asked for help, after all. Akaashi’s thumb hoovered over Kuroo’s contact with uncertainty, and he inhaled sharply before pressing down on it and bringing the phone close to his ear. </p><p><em>“Hello?”</em> the man spoke on the other end of the line, sounding vaguely sheepish.</p><p>Akaashi gulped uncomfortably: the last thing he wanted was to ask for his husband’s friend’s help while he was sleeping peacefully.</p><p>“Good morning, Kuroo-san. It’s Akaashi.” he announced, taking his glasses off as he pinched the bridge of his nose tight. “I’m sorry to bother you. Were you sleeping, perhaps?”</p><p>The man on the other end of the line gasped soflty in surprise.</p><p><em>“Ah, Akaashi, hey! Yeah, I was still in bed, ‘cause Kenma and I stayed up until five this morning, but I was half-awake anyway.”</em> he yawned, <em>"What can I help you with? Are you alright?”</em></p><p>Akaashi nodded, leg still shaking rhythmically, speed increasing by the minute.</p><p>“I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour, but if I may, I need a favour, and it’s rather urgent too.”</p><p>He nibbled at his lip, taking a trembling breath before continuing.</p><p>“Earlier, when I called Kōtarō, he sounded off. I think he’s thrown up, but he won’t tell me what’s really bothering him, and the first train isn’t until tonight. I already warned my boss that I may need to leave sooner than planned, butー”</p><p><em>“I’ll go check up on him immediately. Gimme a minute to get changed, and then I’ll go see what’s up.”</em> Kuroo said promptly, and Akaashi heard the sound of clothes being picked up and tossed somewhere close.</p><p><em>“Are you sure he’s sick? Maybe he was just wasted.”</em> he said while he slid his pajamas pants off and put on a pair of fresh jeans, hoping to calm Akaashi's nerves.</p><p>He'd always been an incredibly anxious guy, and from what Kuroo knew, he used to be on meds back in high school.</p><p>He didn't know if he still took them, but Kuroo knew for a fact that Akaashi could always use a reassurance of some sorts; Bokuto had never hid it when he needed to leave because his former boyfriend and current husband wasn't feeling alright.</p><p>Akaashi exhaled, air thick with tension and dread.</p><p>“I really don’t know. Kōtarō’s not the type of guy who drinks on his own, so I excluded that option, but you may be right. I justー I’m sorry for bothering you like this, but I’m really worried for him. You know how he is, he won’t ask for help if it’s something serious.” Akaashi murmured, voice low and shaky.</p><p>The older man could only hum in agreement; after reassuring the editor, Kuroo hung up, promising to provide updates. Akaashi thanked him profousely, fiddling incessantly with his fingers, as to unscrew them, and hoped that the updates would come soon.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kuroo arrived in front of his friend’s apartment barely half an hour later, and discreetly crouched down in front of the doormat to slide a hand underneath and retrieve the spare key that he knew the newly-wed couple hid there for emergencies; the emergencies usually involved Bokuto losing the key, or Akaashi being stranded outside because his husband, who had the key that day, was being held hostage by his teammates.</p><p>Luckily enough, the two had soon understood that each of them needed to get their own key, plus a spare one, and Kuroo had never been more grateful for that. </p><p>He unlocked the door in a swift movement and kicked his shoes off, eyes scanning the house in search of his presumably ill friend. His sight didn’t help him, but his hearing did: just as Kuroo was making his way toward the kitchen, wondering if his friend was maybe having a snack to sober up, Bokuto gave a loud, harsh retch, and the black-haired man cringed at the sound of liquid hitting the porcelain of the toilet.</p><p>He flung himself toward the nasty sound, and during the ten seconds it took him to get to Bokuto, Kuroo never heard the gags cease, not for a millisecond. </p><p>Chestnut-brown eyes snapped wide open, the scene before him frightening, to say the least: Bokuto was hunched over the toilet, arms slung around the cold bowl, head buried inside of it as his rattled, shallow breaths echoed in the room. He was shaking, and yet the grey hoodie he had on was plastered to his back, dripping wet. Kuroo cringed, and jogged toward him, kneeling down behind the man.</p><p>He shouldn’t have assumed that Bokuto had heard him. </p><p>As a matter of fact, as soon as Kuroo’s hand made contact with his friend’s shoulder, the latter jolted and jerked like he’d been scorched, and his head snapped around so quickly that Kuroo would’ve feared that his neck could break if he hadn't been so distracted by Bokuto’s boiling temperature and pinpoint pupils. </p><p>Traces of refuse stained the corners of Bokuto’s mouth and his clothes as well, the acidic smell lingering in the hot and still air almost triggering Kuroo’s gag-reflex. But he swallowed it down, for the sake of the other man, and instead lowered the hand that he’d meant to rub Bokuto’s back with.</p><p>“It’s me, it's Kuroo.” he announced, voice soft, “You okay?”</p><p>Bokuto looked like a deer in the headlights, looking around himself and somewhere behind the other man, blinking rapidly.</p><p>Kuroo bit his lip, and gently, oh-so-gently shook Bokuto’s shoulders, trying to catch his eyes.</p><p>“Bo, you’re alright. Can you hear the words I’m speaking to you?”</p><p>The grey-haired man shut his eyes tight, gulping down frantically what Kuroo hoped was just spit and notー Bokuto didn’t even turn around, and brought up a nasty wave of sour puke on his and Kuroo’s knees. He was mumbling something unintelligible, eyes fixed to the mess, the taste in his mouth foul and gross.</p><p>And then, without any further warning, his back spasmed when he threw up once again, the pool below him growing wider and wider as he could only heave helplessly and comply to his stomach’s dizzying requests. Tears stained his scorching cheeks, but he didn’t seem to realise it.</p><p>“Hey, hey, don’t cry. It’s okay, Bo, it’s fine.” Kuroo fretted, rubbing soothing circles on the athlete’s upper arms, trying not to jostle him too much.</p><p>“You really aren’t feeling well, huh? Poor guy. You should’ve called me earlier, dude.”</p><p>He glanced at Bokuto, who looked like he would keel over and pass away any second; things weren’t looking good, not at all.</p><p>With a swift movement, he extracted his phone from his pocket, thanking the gods that the device wasn’t stained in puke, and called Akaashi, placing the phone in the crook of his neck as he returned his hands to Bokuto’s shaking form. He heard the younger man pick up almost immediately.</p><p>“Hey Akaashi, it’s Kuroo. I’m here at Bo’s. You were right, he’s been throwing up since I got here a few minutes ago, and I assume he’s been doing it for a while.” he informed rapidly.</p><p>“He also has a fever, but I haven’t taken his temperature just yet.”</p><p>Akaashi sucked in a sharp breath, <em>“Damn it, I should have figured. When he called me this morning, Kōtarō sounded incredibly weak and worn out. I… Kuroo-san, I should have known.”</em></p><p>Kuroo chuckled, despite the situation, always keeping a steady hand on Bokuto’s frame, “Don’t worry too much, man. Bo will be okay, I think. I’ll change him out of these clothes and give him some medicine, so that I can get him safely into bed and then see what needs to be done from there. Do you guys have some anti-nausea drug here at home?”</p><p><em>“Yes,” </em>the editor replied in a heartbeat,<em> “there’s a little box with drugs and medications below the sink. Please, ask Kōtarō if he’s taken anything already, before actually giving him any more meds, Kuroo-san.”</em></p><p>“Hey, who did you take me for? Of course I’ll make sure that he won’t overdose.” Kuroo rolled his eyes, no real annoyance behind his gesture.</p><p>“Now go take a break, Akaashi. I’ll inform you if there are any changes!” he chirped out. Akaashi hummed and thanked him once again, before getting off the phone.</p><p>In the meantime, Bokuto had stopped heaving, only limiting himself to a few sour and coppery burps, his raw throat scratched and slightly bleeding. His whole body rattled incessantly under Kuroo’s hands, that hadn’t stopped moving in comforting patterns since he’d gotten there.</p><p>He didn’t look much more aware of his surroundings, though.</p><p>“Bokuto, hey.” Kuroo called, and this time he knew that his friend had at least heard him. “Are you feeling any better? What’s wrong?”</p><p>“K-K’roo?” he slurred, drunken-like voice weak and rough.</p><p>When had that guy entered his house? He didn’t recall letting him in. Had he done that?</p><p>“...uto, don’t space out like that. It’s me, it’s Kuroo. You’re safe, alright? This is your house. Man, you wouldn’t stop talking about it when you and Akaashi bought it a few months ago, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about this place already!” Kuroo laughed, trying to ease the tension.</p><p>“Can you talk to me? Please, man.”</p><p>“K’roo, Iー” his lips trembled, “M’sorry, I didn’t mean to. I n-need’a sl-sleep it off. Sorry.” Bokuto mumbled, head lolling against Kuroo’s shoulder.</p><p>“Where’s Keiji? I n-need K-Keiji.”</p><p>“Akaashi’s out of town, remember? He’s been staying in Kyōto for the past two days.” Kuroo explained, worried at the pro-player’s current state. “He says he’s going to hop on a train later to come here and nurse your ass back to health! Isn’t it just so lovely of him?”</p><p>Bokuto didn’t look as relieved as Kuroo hoped he would, and instead shook his head vehemently, choking on a low sob.</p><p>“N-no, wait, the thing he gottaー Keiji’s gotta do the thing withー a thing for his job, and he- he…”</p><p>The man broke down with a loud whimper, folding onto himself, arms wrapped tight around his pale form. </p><p>Kuroo sighed, “You’re more important than that, I hope you know.” he said.</p><p>Then, he gingerly placed a hand, touch feather-light, onto Bokuto’s forehead, and pulled away rapidly, blinking in shock. He placed his other hand there too, praying that it had all been a mistake.</p><p>But it hadn’t.</p><p>Bokuto was definitely too hot for comfort, now. Kuroo stood up on numb legs and crouched in front of the sink, opening the cabinet and extracting the little box Akaashi had told him about.</p><p>Just like he'd thought, the thermometer was right there, and the businessman didn’t waste a single instant before he turned it on and slid it under Bokuto’s sweaty armpit, passing from the lower rim of the hoodie and not from the neck, to avoid involuntarily triggering the player’s nausea again.</p><p>The small device beeped almost instantly, revealing the dreaded digits. </p><p>“Bokuto, shit.” Kuroo hissed, “Have you taken anything in the past hours? Answer me, please.” he pushed, a pang of guilt twisting in his chest.</p><p>Still, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time, because the fact that Bokuto had been puking for hours, probably, and that his body temperature was closer to 40°C than to 39°C was definitely a source of worry.</p><p>The ill man shook his head, eyes scrunched tight. “C-can’t. Too d-dizzy.”</p><p>“Fuck, alright. Okay… Shit.” Kuroo growled, distraught.</p><p>He rapidly flipped through the tiny packets and blisters before he found what he was looking for, extracting a tiny pill from the box and popping it out of the container.</p><p>“Here, take this.”</p><p>Bokuto moaned, pulling away childishly. Kuroo didn’t blame him, fever-ridden and spent, but he didn’t have time to put up with any resistance. So, he essentially cornered Bokuto between the toilet and the sink, and brought a hand up near his face.</p><p>“Please, for the love of all that is sacred, don’t make me force you. I really don’t want to do that to you, Bo.” Kuroo said sincerely.</p><p>But his friend didn’t seem to be willing to listen.</p><p>“Bokuto Kōtarō, don’t you act like that with me. I’m calling Akaashi if you don’t swallow this pill right now.” he threatened, words driven by worry rather than anger, hoping that Akaashi’s name was going to suffice in persuading the athlete.</p><p>“K’roo.” Bokuto called, urgency edging in his shaky voice, “K’roo, no, m’gonnaー” and before he could finish that sentence, he bowed forward, almost face-planting against the floor, and dry-heaved violently.</p><p>Kuroo cursed and placed the pill somewhere safe, before returning to Bokuto’s side and cradling his damp hair softly with one hand, and caressing his back with the other.</p><p>“Take deep breaths, Bo. You’ve got nothing more to bring up anyway.”</p><p>“It h-hurts.” Bokuto hiccupped, breathless, “It hur-hurts t-too b-bad.”</p><p>And indeed, he felt like death. Bokuto couldn’t understand how he could be feeling so hot yet so cold at the same time, so gross and dirty, disoriented and barely clinging onto consciousness. Mostly thanks to Kuroo’s insistence and perseverance.</p><p>Still, Bokuto was too out of it to thank him for that.</p><p>“What hurts? Fuck, is- is it your right side?” Kuroo asked, heart leaping in his throat.</p><p>He really hoped that it wasn’t Bokuto’s appendix that was bothering him, because otherwise it would have meant that he was a few hours late for taking him to the hospital.</p><p>He remembered when Fukunaga’s appendix had burst after he’d ignored the sharp pain in his side for almost three whole days: it hadn’t been pretty, and Kuroo did not want to ever experience that again in the remainder of his days.</p><p>But when Bokuto shook his head, just barely, Kuroo’s shoulder sagged in slight relief. Still, it was clear that his friend needed immediate medical attention.</p><p>“What is it, then? Use your words, Bo.” he insisted.</p><p>Bokuto only shook his head again, stifling a sob. “D-dunno. It all f-feels weird, and Iー” he was cut off by a brief, unproductive gag, “I f-feel like m’boiling. M-my head hurts and my ey-eyes aren’t w-working well and Iー K’roo, I don’t feel g-good.” he whimpered, heaving for oxygen.</p><p>Kuroo cringed.</p><p>“That’s probably the fever. Stay here, and don’t pass out when I’m gone.” he moved to get up, but a shaky hand gripped at his wrist weakly.</p><p>His thick, dark eyebrows arched in pity and guilt, “Hey, hey. I’m not going to leave you, Bo. I’m only going to get you a cup of fresh water from the kitchen, it won’t even take a minute. I promise.” the man explained, gently taking his own hand back,</p><p>“You just sit here and wait, yeah? Do you want me to scream something so that you can hear me from the other side of the house?” he asked, absolutely willing to do that if the pro-player wanted him to.</p><p>Bokuto didn’t reply and let his head sag forward and loll limply, but Kuroo could still see his chin twitching in sadness and despair; he really thought that Kuroo was going to leave him there, all alone.</p><p>He thought that he deserved it, after all. He’d annoyed him enough, like he always did with everyone. Bokuto didn’t blame Kuroo for wanting to leave, he didn’t blame anyone for leaving him by himself. </p><p>“Okay, I’m back.” Kuroo chirped, waving a half-full glass of tap water in front of Bokuto.</p><p>“And look at you, still sitting upright and wide awake! That’s great, Bokuto.” he grinned.</p><p>The ill man had a bemused look in his eyes, mixed with sorrow and agony.</p><p>Kuroo hadn’t left him, had he? He hadn't seen him leave, either. Bokuto’s stomach knotted anxiously.</p><p>The black-haired man didn’t question his friend’s look, and simply retrieved the pill from earlier, holding it in his hand delicately.</p><p>“Gimme your palm.” he asked, and when Bokuto complied, bewildered, he let the pill fall onto it.</p><p>“Take this, and then drink a bit. You want to sleep, don't you? This will help.” he smiled gently. </p><p>“I need’a cl-clean theー”</p><p>“No, no, you don’t need to do anything. I’ll take care of this, okay? All I’m asking you now is to take the pill, drink up, and rest. You look like you were run over by a train, man.” Kuroo said, truthful to his words, chest heaving as he allowed himself to breathe deeply.</p><p>“If you want, we can call Akaashi before your nap, yeah? He’d be happy to hear from you directly.”</p><p>“K-Keiji? Where is… A-ah, yes, Kyōto.” Bokuto mumbled, “He d-doesn’t have to come ba-ack. His job, he has t’do the th-thing.” </p><p>“He’ll want to come back anyway, you know how he is. Wouldn't you do the same for him? I know you would, you’ve already done that plenty of times, right? It’s fine, he won’t get fired for missing a silly seminar. Now take the meds, Bo.” Kuroo said, nudging him delicately.</p><p>The other shook his head, hands clawing at his hair. “Wh-what if I throw it r-right up?”</p><p>“Then you’ll take another. Seriously man, we’ve been over this. You have to try or you won’t get better. Come on now, slowly.” the taller man smiled sympathetically, and used the hand that wasn’t holding the glass to pull Bokuto’s wrists away from his head.</p><p>Bokuto swallowed the foul-tasting saliva in a loud gulp, shaky hand nearing his slightly parted lips: in a quick motion, he downed the pill directly from his own sweaty palm, downing it without complications.</p><p>When Kuroo signaled for him to grab the glass, part of him wanted to throw a tantrum, stomp his feet and shake his head because no, he didn’t want to throw up again. It hurt too much.</p><p>And his friend sensed the discomfort, but didn’t pull away, only bringing the glass closer.</p><p>“Take a sip to rinse your mouth, first.”</p><p>Bokuto choked on a gag, but grabbed the glass in an unsteady hold, and let the cold liquid enter his mouth; he gargled for a couple of seconds, before flinging himself over the toilet to spit the water with a violent retch. Kuroo immediately glanced inside the bowl, and when he didn’t spot the pill, he sighed in relief.</p><p>“Alright,” he started, “Now take two sips. Two, that’s all you need to drink for now, got it? Only two tiny sips.”</p><p>Bokuto nodded, and reluctantly let some cool liquid soothe his burning throat; despite himself, he actually took one extra sip than what Kuroo had asked him to, but the latter didn’t stop him, and instead he encouraged him to drink as much as he could. Still, after three sips, Bokuto almost dropped the glass to slam his palms flat against his mouth. </p><p>Kuroo quickly guided him to lean over the toilet with worried eyes, but Bokuto didn’t remove his hands, and instead he pressed them on his mouth with more force, willing to suppress the retch that was caught up in the back of his throat. The back burned where the corrosive bile had scratched it, and tears of exertion and agony pooled at the corner of his glassy eyes, but Bokuto didn’t give in.</p><p>He forced himself to take some deep breaths, lungs suddenly feeling so empty and small, head spinning rapidly.</p><p>“Bo, if you need to throw up, don’t hold it. We can try again in a few minutes.” Kuroo reassured him, patting his back gently.</p><p>“Would you rather go to the hospital? You’d suffer less, trust me.” he suggested, and he immediately felt Bokuto tense under his hold.</p><p>Kuroo sighed.</p><p>“No hospitals, got it. But if it gets any worse, we <em>are</em> going.”</p><p>Bokuto finally pulled his hands back, letting them rest on the rim of the soiled toilet, and stifled a wet belch, eyes scrunched tight.</p><p>“M’okay. Gimme a min’te.” he hiccupped, voice hoarse. “Jus’ need to ride it ou’. I’ll b-be fine.”</p><p>A few instants later, he slumped back against Kuroo, exhausted. Concerned eyes blinked at him from above, but he summoned every last bit of strength to flash an unconvincing smile, despite his best efforts to make it look sincere and fill his friend with hope.</p><p>“Think m’okay.”</p><p>“Are you sure? You’re looking kinda pale, despite the fever. Maybe we should stay here for another minute, because I don’t want you to get too dizzy.” Kuroo explained,</p><p>“You know what, I’m going to get you some clean clothes, and in the meantime you can stay here and see if anything else is coming up. Take a small sip if you feel like it, but don’t push yourself.” Kuroo prompted, and gently lifted his friend into a semi-sitting position again, motioning for him to lean against the cold ceramic.</p><p>When he was sure that Bokuto wasn’t going to fall, Kuroo got up and took his own pants off. The awkward look that the player gave him was almost enough to lighten the mood. </p><p>“...What?” Kuroo asked, “I’m not going around with vomit-soiled pants, dude. I’ll steal a pair of yours.” he explained, winking.</p><p>Bokuto would have rolled his eyes if he’d had the strength necessary for that, or if any movement didn’t make him feel like he was going to topple over and die.</p><p>So, he nodded, and Kuroo left for the bedroom.</p><p>Bokuto exhaled shakily, and raised a hand to flush the toilet, closing his eyes when the twirl of water only worked to nauseate him further. So far, the water and the pill he’d just taken seemed to be sitting well in his upset stomach, and he prayed to the gods that he could just keep those down until Akaashi arrived. Speaking of his husband, he hadn’t spoken to him since that morning, and that was… </p><p>
  <em>How long ago was it?</em>
</p><p>Bokuto fished for his phone in his pocket, cringing at how slimy it felt, and unlocked it.</p><p>He recalled calling Akaashi around nine in the morning, almost six hours prior. And, right now, all he wanted was to hear his man’s voice, to hear him say that he was going to be alright.</p><p>As much as he loved Kuroo, he couldn’t picture his friend kissing his forehead and cuddling with him for the time being. But maybe he just had to ask, Bokuto thought to himself as a low chuckle escaped his mouth.</p><p>“Oh God.” Kuroo gasped in alarm from somewhere behind him, “Please don’t tell me you’re hallucinating or some shit, I can’t handle this.”</p><p>“N-no, I was just thinkin’ ‘bout you and I cuddlin’ in bed.” Bokuto grinned sheepishly, “Since my man’s not he-ere, you could baby me a lil.”</p><p>“Oi oi, I <em>am</em> babying you. By the way, I stole your grey sweats, but I gotta say that they suit you better.” Kuroo admitted, and simultaneously celebrated how slightly more cognizant Bokuto seemed.</p><p>“Did you vomit anything in the meantime?” he asked as he crouched next to the other man, avoiding the puddle of vomit on the floor. </p><p>“Nah. Told ya I feel al-alright.” Bokuto stifled a burp with his fist, “Just wanna ta-ake a nap till Keiji c-comes.”</p><p>Kuroo nodded, and helped Bokuto to sit up with his back against the wall instead of leaving him hunched over the bowl; then, he slowly helped him to get the hoodie soaked in sweat and puke off, and placed it aside.</p><p>“I brought you a T-shirt, the hoodie’s too warm for someone feverish. Take your pants off too, they’re soiled.” </p><p>Bokuto obeyed without a word, though he had to wait for Kuroo’s help when it came to actually sliding the pants off his legs and put the fresh pair on. Once they were satisfied with the grey-haired man’s clothes, Kuroo handed him the thermometer, and stood up to grab a clean towel.</p><p>It beeped soon, and when Kuroo saw Bokuto squinting at the digits, he realised that maybe he’d gotten his hopes a little too high, for now. He extended one hand, and Bokuto lifted his own from his sitting position to pass him the thermometer: it read 39.6°C, only 0.1°C lower than earlier.</p><p>Surely enough, Bokuto’s fever wasn’t going to break any time soon. Kuroo turned the thing off, and grabbed his phone, opening Akaashi’s chat and putting the device in Bokuto’s hands, while he dabbed at the latter’s boiling face and neck with the damp towel.</p><p>“Tell him it’s you and let him know how you’re feeling, he must be worried sick. He’s taking a nap, though, so I thought it would be better not to wake him for now, given how he will have to be on a train for almost three hours, soon.” Kuroo explained calmly.</p><p>Bokuto nodded, shaky fingers pressing against the touchscreen delicately as he typed, thanking the autocorrect for providing some sense to his spelling, fever and exhaustion only aggravating the situation. </p><p><b>me, 2:44 PM &gt;</b> hi baby, it’s Kō. I’m fine, please don’t worry too much!!! You don’t need to come back, everything’s okay. Kuroo told me you’re taking a nap. That’s good!!! I hope you’re doing alright. I love you sooo much!!!</p><p><b>me, 2:46 PM &gt;</b> I miss you!!!</p><p><b>me, 2:47 PM &gt;</b> waaah, Kuroo uses too many kaomoji. Annoying!!!</p><p><b>me, 2:48 PM &gt;</b> just kidding, he’s my bro, I love him.</p><p><b>me, 2:48 PM &gt;</b> but I love you more!!!</p><p>Those few minutes spent looking at the bright screen did nothing to help reduce Bokuto’s pounding headache, pit of the stomach swelling uncomfortably in his chest, the man opted to shakily put the phone down, close his eyes and try to ground himself.</p><p>He was well aware that feeling like he was inside of a washing machine wasn’t a good sign, and he also knew that ears weren’t supposed to shrill like that. </p><p>“...uto? Bo...to? Fuckー Bokuto!” Kuroo yelled in panic, grip on his friend’s shoulders tight.</p><p>The man jolted awake with a startled look, attempting to blink his disorientation away. Kuroo cursed, not letting go.</p><p>“Fucking shit, Bo, don’t scare me like that! Are you okay!?”</p><p>“Mhn, yeah, I jus’... feel funny?” Bokuto breathed out, unsure, “I think I need’a lie down...”</p><p>Kuroo’s eyes snapped wide open, “Can you make it to the bedroom? I’ll take you there.” he asked, begging that his friend would say yes. But he didn’t.</p><p>“Bokuto? Bo, you’re creeping me out. Snap out of it!” the businessman said, frightened by the dazed look in his friend’s eyes; Kuroo really prayed that the man hadn’t passed out with his eyes open, or worseー</p><p>“Pl’se, K’roo, I need’a lie down n-now.” Bokuto hiccupped, sounding scared out of his mind, and gave the tiniest sigh.</p><p>Simultaneously, his eyes rolled back in his skull, and he flopped onto Kuroo in a heap.</p><p>He didn’t even have time to process the shock, that Bokuto was already coming to, apparently, given how his eyes were open, not past slits, a trembling hand rising to cover his eyes.</p><p>“B-bright.” he whimpered weakly, voice hoarse and faint.</p><p>Kuroo didn’t hesitate before he scooped his friend up in his arms and made a dash for the bedroom, ignoring the possibility of Bokuto vomiting on himself; he eased the limp body onto the bed, pillows propped behind his back so that he wouldn’t lay completely horizontal, and ran back and forth from the bathroom to the room to bring an empty basin, one filled with cool water, and towels with him.</p><p>“Bo, are you awake?”</p><p>“Y-yeah.” Bokuto hissed, an arm slung over his eyes, “I dun feel well.”</p><p>“I bet. Move your arm, please.” Kuroo said, and helped the player to remove the heavy limb from his face, placing a damp towel in his place, covering his eyes too to provide some comfort.</p><p>“How does that feel? Too cold?”</p><p>“S’fine. Dun need’a worry s-so much, K’roo, m’okay.” Bokuto murmured, drained, “Jus’ got c-careless and stared at th’ light fo’ too long. Y’can leave, I dun want’a keep ya here.”</p><p>“Sounds to me like you just want me to leave.” Kuroo bit, “Seriously, I don’t mind taking care of you, Bo. That’s what friends are for, so shut up and let Kuroo take care of you until your knight in shining armor makes it home.”</p><p>Once he finished applying the towels on Bokuto’s forehead, arms and ankles, Kuroo sat on the edge of the bed.</p><p>“How’s your stomach?”</p><p>Bokuto moaned feebly, and slightly raised his hand that he proceeded to wave weakly. Kuroo hummed, understanding.</p><p>“I’ll go clean the bathroom up. The basin’s right next to the bed, okay? Try to get some sleep, Bo.” he said, squeezing his friend’s arm in a caring gesture.</p><p>That said, he got up from the bed, and made his way toward the dirty bathroom once again, keeping an ear to the ground in case Bokuto decided to die on him suddenly. </p><p>Before grabbing the mop, Kuroo grabbed his phone. Akaashi hadn’t replied yet, but he decided to send him a text anyway. </p><p><b>me, 2:58 PM &gt;</b> it’s Kuroo again (￣ω￣) Bo took some meds and he’s kept the pill down. Earlier he collapsed ＼(º □ º l|l)/  but only for a dozen of seconds, he was probably exhausted. He’s sleeping now, and I hope you are too, Akaashi. Don't make me worry, please, you freakin' workaholic  (－ω－) zzZ </p><p>Kuroo hit send, and put the phone away. His chestnut-brown eyes scanned the utter mess in front of him, and with a deep, resigned sigh, he rolled his sleeves up, and started to sanitize everything meticulously.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Bokuto had managed to sleep for a little more than an hour and a half, and Kuroo thought that maybe he’d overreacted. He hoped that was the case. His hope, however, was short lived: around 4:30 in the afternoon, Bokuto had jerked awake with a violent spasm, a scream caught in his throat as he stumbled over to the bathroom and stuck his swimming head into the bowl, bringing up a sour, semi-transparent wave of disgusting bile.</p><p>Kuroo wasn’t even able to stop him from standing up, because the man had thrown himself into the bathroom at full speed, frantic, tears streaming down his cheeks, T-shirt soaked in sweat, mouth stained in pale vomit. Kuroo was, of course, right behind him. And that was a full hour ago.</p><p>After fifty long, tense minutes, Kuroo had pried Bokuto away from the freezing tiles, and back into bed. The latter had never stopped gagging uncontrollably, a thin trail of slimy saliva dandling from his mouth as he gulped for air helplessly.</p><p>Since he'd been placed back onto the mattress, about fifteen minutes ago, the nausea hadn't abated, and had only worsened.</p><p>“Please, let me take you to the hospital. There's definitely something wrong with you, Bo.” Kuroo begged, eyeing his friend closely, cringing at his uncharacteristically pastry-white complexion, skin clammy.</p><p>Bokuto shifted, bringing a hand up to muffle a cough, which sounded more like a pained wheeze.</p><p>“N-no, pl'se. M'fine, m'okay. S'fine.” he mumbled, throat feeling too tight for his liking.</p><p>Just as he opened his mouth to reassure the businessman some more, sour saliva filled his mouth, and he jerked forward in a violent manner, gagging and spilling the saliva on his hand, still pressed against his lips.</p><p>Somewhere next to him, Kuroo cursed under his breath, and an instant later he shoved a plastic basin into Bokuto’s lap, gently grabbing his wrist and prying the hand away.</p><p>Still, nothing really came up, but neither of the two men dared to move. Kuroo grabbed a few tissues from the box situated on the bedside table, and cleaned Bokuto’s hand, careful not to jostle him excessively; chestnut-brown eyes scanned the delirious figure before them worriedly, mind racing to find the best solution.</p><p>Kuroo knew that Bokuto despised hospitals, and he wasn’t a fan of those himself either, but unless he could get his friend to drink something and lower his body temperature...</p><p>“Bo, hey.” he called, and his gentle hand was on his Bokuto’s back, rubbing soothing patterns.</p><p>“Let's go to the clinic, at least. I want to make sure that everything is really okay with you, because it doesn't look like it, and you <em> know </em>Akaashi will kill me if you die on my watch. Please.” he spoke softly, hoping that mentioning Akaashi and what was probably his will would have convinced his stubborn friend to comply.</p><p>“K'roo, m'alright.” Bokuto coughed weakly, the foul taste in his mouth aggravating the nausea.</p><p>“S'just a stomach bug. I just n-need to ride it ou'.”</p><p>“You've been puking your guts out for hours, and you're sporting a dangerously high fever. You need medical attention now, Bo.” Kuroo insisted, his hand still moving across the sweaty back.</p><p>“Don’t be stubborn, now. This is for your own good.” </p><p>Bokuto cowered in the sheets, gaze low and glassy. He hated being a source of worryー for a serious matter, at least, since he didn’t mind being a little over-dramatic when needed.</p><p>And, right now, he knew that his situation was far from being optimal, or even only acceptable, but the thought of having to inconvenience Kuroo and ask him to take him where they could help… That seemed <em> too </em>much.</p><p>Kuroo sensed Bokuto’s discomfort; he brought a delicate hand up and ran it in his friend’s sweaty hair, avoiding to pull any strands.</p><p>“Listen,” he called, startling the fever-ridden man nonetheless. “There’s something we can try here at home that might help, but if it doesn’t work within half an hour, we’re going to the hospital. How does that sound? Wanna try?”</p><p>“Will it... hurt? T-the thing y'wanna try...” Bokuto asked in a childish manner, sounding much smaller than Kuroo had ever heard.</p><p>He shook his head, grinning despite himself. After a few instants, Bokuto nodded his head weakly, though reluctant.</p><p>“That’s great, Bo. Thank you, I promise it will be okay, man.” Kuroo smiled, and got up from his position.</p><p>“Gimme a minute, I need to go fetch something from the kitchen. If you need me, just… yell. I’ll be here in a moment.” the dark-haired man explained, and left in a hurry.</p><p>He took his phone with him, and rapidly looked for Akaashi’s contact as he speed-walked toward the kitchen.</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji, 5:04 PM &gt; </b>Kuroo-san, how is Kōtarō doing?</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji, 5:21 PM &gt;</b> Is everything alright? Should I come home?</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji, 5:29 PM &gt;</b> Okay, I’m coming home. Please keep an eye on Kōtarō in the meantime, I’ll be as fast as I can. Thank you for what you’ve done so far, Kuroo-san.</p><p><b>me, 5:32 PM</b> <b>&gt;</b> Akaashi, sorry for not replying sooner (°ロ°) I was busy with Bo. He’s not doing too good, honestly, and won’t let me take him to the ER (╬`益´) I’ll try to bring his temp down and make him drink something to replenish his salts before I decide to drag his ass to the doctor’s with brute force (`皿´＃)</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji, 5:32 PM &gt;</b> He’s always hated hospitals, so I understand his current behaviour. Anyway, I am coming home nonetheless, as I’ve already inconvenienced you too much today. The first train I can get on is at 6:05pm, and it will take me two hours and a half to be there. Thank you again, Kuroo-san. Please, if it is not too much of a hustle for you, keep me updated on Kōtarō’s condition. And tell him I said hi, and that I love him.</p><p><b>me, 5:33 PM &gt; </b>There’s no need to be so formal, Akaashi ( ´ ▽ ` ) don’t worry about a thing, I’ll do my best. And I’ll tell him everything you just said, I promise! (￣▽￣)ノ</p><p>Kuroo then quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket and opened the fridge, thanking the gods that his friend always kept some energy drinks in there. He grabbed a bottle, and he even took a yogurt and a spoon with him, before he made a dash for the bedroom where he’d left Bokuto.</p><p>He got there less than a minute later, about two minutes after he’d left, and found his friend hunched over the plastic basic, breath hiccupped and shallow, his grip so tight that his poor knuckles had gone white.</p><p>Bokuto was too out of it to notice his friend entering the room and sitting on the chair where he was earlier; he didn’t raise his head, nor he opened his eyes, squeezed tight to will the dizzy spell away.</p><p>“I’m back.” Kuroo called, placing the things on the bedside table and sighing.</p><p>“Bo, hey, did you throw up while I was gone?” he asked. Bokuto shook his head, gulping down hard. That was good, though, Kuroo thought.</p><p>“Everything’s jus’ too... <em> spinny.” </em> the former Fukurōdani captain explained briefly, “But nothing’s comin’ up.”</p><p>“Okay, okay, that’s a good thing! Here, I brought you this,” he said, picking the bottle up, “for your electrolytes. And I also got you some yogurt, it should be light enough for your stomach to handle, and will give you some more energy thanks to the glucose in it.” </p><p>When Bokuto cocked a grey eyebrow in confusion, delirious and also genuinely confused, Kuroo gave a small chuckle, “Electrolytes are salts, glucose are sugars.” he explained as simply as he could for a feverish person to comprehend.</p><p>Then, he uncapped the bottle, the liquid inside giving a faint fizzle sound, and handed it to his friend. When it was clear that Bokuto’s hands were too shaky to grab it safely, Kuroo opted for bringing the bottle closer to the man’s lips, his free hand assuming a  cup-like form under Bokuto’s chin. </p><p>“Take a small sip, Bo.” Kuroo coaxed, “If you can keep this down for a few minutes, you can have another. Easy does it... Good boy.”</p><p>Still, as soon as the drink reached the back of Bokuto’s throat, his skin tinged of a sickly green hue, and he spilled everything with a loud gagー Kuroo’s reflexes fast enough to save the bottle and drag the basin closer again.</p><p>He dry-heaved for a little less than a minute, sputtering and coughing helplessly, face pale yet red, eyes blood-shot and lost. Then, as his panting calmed down, he began mumbling apologies and pleas, words slurred and incomprehensible.</p><p>Kuroo could only whisper words of comfort, though they fell of deaf ears.</p><p>“Shhh, you’re okay, it’s okay. Nothing bad happened, it’s alright, we can try later. Breathe, Bo, you did great. That’s it, slow and deep, in and out. Keep going, you’re doing amazing.” he repeated, over and over, Bokuto’s muffled whimpers drowned in that manthra.</p><p>Kuroo extended his arm to grab the thermometer, and he swiftly slid it under his friend’s damp shirt and under his armpit, churning on his bottom lip as he waited for the verdict.</p><p>It didn’t take too long for the thermometer to beep, and the result was far from reassuring. </p><p>Kuroo cursed. He grabbed his phone and quickly texted Akaashi, praying that he would reply soon, and with his free hand he rubbed Bokuto’s back, who looked seconds away from passing out due to exhaustion.</p><p><b>me, 5:38 PM &gt; </b>Bo’s got a fever of 39.9°C, so I’m going to give him a cool bath immediately. I’ll take him to the ER if his temp’s not down to what it was earlier by the time you get on the train, okay? I’m so sorry, Akaashi, this is all my fault. I’ll keep you updated, I promise.</p><p>And before he could read the reply, Kuroo put his phone away once again, and ran to the bathroom, filling the tub with lukewarm water and adding a few drops of soapー he could only imagine how his friend, who’d always cared about his looks, would feel if he realised how gross he was now.</p><p>He ran back to the room, and didn’t wait for Bokuto to give his consent before he dragged him into an upright position, and swung his friend’s arm around his neck.</p><p>Bokuto was too dizzy of it to even raise his fuzzy head, that was left to loll limply, and Kuroo would’ve thought that he was unconscious if it weren’t for his pained moans and slurred mumbling. </p><p>Once they reached the bathroom, Kuroo sat his friend on the toilet, and began to strip him down; they’d seen each other naked plenty of times, and they really didn’t mind it, but taking Bokuto’s clothes off without asking him felt wrong.</p><p>So, Kuroo decided to leave his friend’s underwear on, at least to give him some privacy in such a delicate moment. Bokuto shivered violently, and only then Kuroo noticed how the man’s skin was oddly dry.</p><p>
  <em> Fucking shit. </em>
</p><p>“Bo, hey, look at me.” Kuroo called, crouching down in front of his naked friend and grabbing at his boiling shoulders.</p><p>“Bokuto, raise your eyes. Look at me, please. Come on, man.”</p><p>And Bokuto did, in fact, try to bring his head up: when his golden, glassy eyes met Kuroo’s, the slightly younger man hissed, scared. Bokuto didn’t look like he knew where he was, or who the person in front of him was, either. </p><p>“Bokuto, it’s me, it’s Kuroo. You know me, right?” the man asked immediately, “I’m going to give you a bath to cool you down a bit, does that sound alright? It will be unpleasant at first, but it’s for your own good, okay?” he spoke as if he were talking to a toddler, voice soft and slow.</p><p>Bokuto bliked, sheepish, but didn’t give any signs that he’d heard him. Kuroo cursed under his breath, and moved his friend up and into the tub, filled to the brim with cool water.</p><p>He didn’t care that some spilled on his pants’ legsー he’d forgotten to roll them upー and instead he gently cradled his friend’s head so that it would stay above the surface. </p><p>“S’cold, s’too cold, pl’se, no!” Bokuto cried in a low voice, warm tears feeling icy against his boiling cheeks, “M’sorry, m’sorry, le’me out, pl’se, m’so sorry.” he attempted to yell, though his voice was weak and broken, and the legs he tired to kick barely even moved underwater.</p><p>“Don’t apologise, I’m the one who’s sorry.” Kuroo said, his own heart twisting with guilt and regret.</p><p>“It’ll be over soon. Ten minutes and I’m gettin’ you out of here, okay? You’re going to be alright, I just need your temperature to get a bit lower.” Kuroo explained, to no avail, Bokuto’s head tossing in his delicate hold.</p><p>The former Nekoma captain grabbed a sponge that was close and dipped it into the water, before bringing it up and swiping it across Bokuto’s face, careful not to let the liquid go into his nose and mouth.</p><p>Once the ill man’s face was wet and cool, Kuroo grabbed some soap and washed his friend’s hair, just enough to clean them of the smell of sweat and puke.</p><p>“Akaashi says hi, by the way. He also told me to tell you that he loves you, you know? He’s coming back home, now. Your Akaashi will be here soon, isn’t that nice?” Kuroo said, hoping to soothe Bokuto’s nerves.</p><p>“...And once he gets here, the two of you are getting into bed, and he’s going to cuddle the crap out of you for the rest of the week, I’m sure. Man, I envy you… I should get sick and let Kenma take care of me, huh? Maybe he’d let me borrow his Switch and take a look at his village in Animal Crossing. Have you played it? It’s a very cute and relaxing game, you should definitely try it someday. I’m more of a Wii kind of guy, but these new games are...”</p><p>He kept talking, glancing at his watch every few seconds and hoping that those ten minutes of agony would be over soon. Bokuto still whimpered and hiccupped softly, though he looked a bit less red than before, which was good.</p><p>“That’s it, just another couple of minutes and you’re out of this tub.” Kuroo said every few sentences, still rambling about whatever came to his mind that could distract both Bokuto and himself.</p><p>His friend looked a bit more cognizant and aware, and also his reflexes were getting better, because at one point he’d gathered enough strength to actually wrap his arms around himself and draw his knees closer to the body.</p><p>“K’roo? Cold.” Bokuto said, and the black-haired man had never been happier to hear that voice. “Le’me out of here, s’too cold now.”</p><p>“Just another minute, alright? We can count the seconds together.” Kuroo offered, taking advantage of that to see if Bokuto was awake enough to manage a task like that.</p><p>And, luckily, he was. Surely enough, he skipped from thirty-seven to thirty-five without mentioning the thirty-sixth second, and made a similar mistake when the countdown was almost over, but Kuroo blamed it on his friend’s dyscalculia and general distraction.</p><p>“You did it man, great job. Stay here, I’m getting you a towel. Oh, and don’t you <em> dare </em> drown while I’m gone.” Kuroo said, and Bokuto nodded, sitting up more and bracing himself against the tub, head resting on his arms.</p><p>Kuroo went to grab a couple of towels and was extremely relieved to find that Bokuto’s head was still above the surface, and that his eyes weren’t as unfocused. Relief washed over him as he approached the man and helped him out of the bathtub, wrapping a towel around his shoulders and using another one to dry his hair.</p><p>“Are you feeling any better? You’re not as hot as before.” Kuroo asked.</p><p>“S’the hair.” Bokuto deadpanned, and for a terrible second Kuroo thought that his friend’s brain cells had been officially fried.</p><p>“Whatー?”</p><p>“S’the hair’s fault if I don’t look hot. Tha’s why I keep it spiky. I’m not as hot with m’hair down. Keiji likes it like that too, though.” Bokuto grinned, and Kuroo had to summon every little ounce of inner calmness not to smack his friend in the head.</p><p>“You fuckin’ idiot, don’t joke around like that in a time like this.” Kuroo growled, “But I’m glad you’re okay, now. Did you hear what I was saying earlier?”</p><p>Bokuto pondered for an instant, before he shook his head, “I think I heard s’mething ‘bout you and Kenma goin’ to the arcade tomorrow, but th’s about it.” he admitted.</p><p>“Well, yeah, I talked about that too, but what I mean is that Akaashi’s coming back home. Ah, wait, let meー” Kuroo fiddled with his pocket and got his phone out. “Twelve unread messages from Akaashi in the span of exactly twelve minutes. Oh, man.” Kuroo sighed, and Bokuto chuckled, sheepish and still slightly out of it.</p><p>He felt Kuroo handing him his phone, and he glanced at the screen only to realise that Kuroo had dialed Akaashi’s number. The sick man brought the phone close to his ear, and a second later, Akaashi’s voice rang and echoed through his skull.</p><p>
  <em> “Kuroo-san! Is Kōtarō okay? I’m coming home, I’m already at the train stationー no, you know what, I’m calling a cab, I can’t waste my time like this andー!” </em>
</p><p>“Babe, calm down, s’me. M’kay, promise.” Bokuto said before his husband could spiral further.</p><p>
  <em> “Kō! Oh my goodness, Kō, I was so scared! Are you alright? What happened? Why didn’t Kuroo-san reply? I thought that you’dー shit, Kōtarō, you gave me a heart attack.”  </em>
</p><p>“M’sorry, Keiji, m’so sorry.” Bokuto breathed out, mortified, “Kuroo gave me a bath and I dun think he could’ve looked at his phone, ‘cause I would’ve drowned without him.” he explained.</p><p>“You don’t hafta come home, babe. There’s still two days left. Dun leave, s’important for you to stay there. Pl’se.”</p><p><em> “No.” </em> Akaashi said, and Bokuto flinched so hard that Kuroo put a steady hand on his back for safe measure.</p><p>
  <em> “No, I’m not staying here while you’re this sick. You’re not well, and I don’t want to leave you alone.” </em>
</p><p>“But Kuroo’s hereー”</p><p><em> “I know, I know, but Kuroo-san has his own life, and you are my husband and my responsibility. The thought of being this far away when you’re in need is consuming me, because I should’ve come home this morning when you called me. I shouldn’t have waited... I’ll be there as soon as I can and I’ll make it up to you, okay?” </em>Akaashi explained on the other side of the line.</p><p>When Bokuto only nodded and didn’t say a word, Akaashi, knowing that his husband had heard him even if he couldn’t see him, exhaled softly.</p><p>
  <em> “Good. Can you put Kuroo-san through, please? I need to talk to him.” </em>
</p><p>“‘Kay. Sorry, babe…” Bokuto mumbled, and before Akaashi could tell him that he didn’t need to apologise, Bokuto handed the phone back to his owner, who cradled it in the crook of his neck since his hands were busy drying Bokuto’s hair.</p><p>“Hey, Akaashi, it’s Kuroo.”</p><p>
  <em> “Kuroo-san, how is he, really? He doesn't sound good at all.” </em>
</p><p>“Well, huh, it could be better. But he’s not boiling anymore, which is good. What do you suggest?”</p><p><em> “Have you given him something to drink yet? We have sports drinks in the fridge, for example.” </em>Akaashi supplied. Kuroo nodded and hummed.</p><p>“I tried to, but he couldn’t even get a single sip down. I’m going to try again after he gets back into bed.” he explained, “Do you think I shouldー”</p><p><em> “If he doesn’t drink anything soon, yes, please just take him to the hospital.” </em> Akaashi said, already knowing what Kuroo was trying to suggest, <em> “I’m sorry for dumping this responsibility on you, but I promise that if Kōtarō got mad at you, it wouldn’t be for too long. I’m sure you know, though. Still, I wish I was there to do that instead of you. I shouldn’t have bothered you, I’m sincerely mortified.” </em></p><p>“Hey, this is my best friend we’re talking about, it’s not a bother, not at all!” Kuroo grinned, “If you hadn't ‘bothered’ me, this guy would be… Y’know! I’ll see what I can do and keep you updated as much as I can. Will you be alright?”</p><p><em> “Yes, thank you. The train should be here in less than fifteen minutes, since they haven’t announced any delays so far. I’ll be okay.” </em> Akaashi said, smiling, though nobody could see it.</p><p>“I’ll go take care of Bo, then. Try to get some rest.” Kuroo recommended, and hung up after he heard Akaashi hum.</p><p>Kuroo put the towel down, and helped Bokuto to his feet. He looked sleepy, but he wasn’t boiling anymore, which was a start.</p><p>“Let’s get you into bed, yeah?”</p><p>Bokuto smiled, his black and grey hair droopy and humid. He looked better than before, for sure, but Kuroo still didn’t want to get his hopes too high. Once he got Bokuto to the bedroom, he helped him out of his wet underwear and into a new pair, and then he made him sit on the bed. </p><p>“Here, put this under your armpit and don’t move it.” Kuroo said, passing the thermometer to Bokuto and turning around to retrieve a pair of fresh sweatpants and a clean T-shirt for his friend.</p><p>As he was helping Bokuto, still sitting on the bed, to put the pants on, the thermometer beeped, and Kuroo extended his hand, in which Bokuto placed the object.</p><p>“Okay, that’s… not great, but not terrible either. It got to 39.9°C earlier, but it’s down to 39.5°C, luckily. If it doesn't spike overnight, and if you drink something, you should be fine.” Kuroo smiled, immensely relieved,</p><p>“Akaashi should be here before nine, so you don’t have to worry about anything, okay? And I’ll stay with you the whole time.”</p><p>“Thanks, man.” Bokuto grinned softly, and put the shirt on, struggling a bit but managing to complete the task on his own.</p><p>Still, the movement aggravated his dull headache, and when his ears rang a bit too loudly and the room spun a bit too fast, he found himself gripping at his hair, tight, pulling some strands, head bowed down and close to his knees.</p><p>“F-fuck.”</p><p>“Bo? What’s happening? Talk to me. Oi, Bokuto.” Kuroo asked, crouching in front of his friend, a hand on the man’s knees. “Are you feeling woozy?”</p><p>“Y-yeah.”</p><p>“Woozy as in you’re... going to pass out? Or vomit? Both?”</p><p>“I dunno.”  Bokuto moaned, “I feel weird…. Head hurts s’much. Can’t see well.”</p><p>Kuroo nodded, grave, and retrieved the bottle from before.</p><p>“You’re probably dehydrated and exhausted. Once you drink at least half of this, eat some yogurt, and down some medicine, I’m going to let you rest for a bit.”</p><p>“Dun think I can k-keep it down.” Bokuto mumbled with a wet, low belch escaping his lips. “M’stomach is still u-upset.”</p><p>“Try, at least. Worst thing that can happen is that you throw up.” Kuroo reassured, though he was praying that his friend was eventually not going to puke again.</p><p>He didn’t envy the poor guy one bit, grey brows knitted together in agony, his face tight with pain and dizziness.</p><p>Kuroo fiddled with the fabric of Bokuto’s pants, and inhaled sharply, making a mental note to apologise later for what he was about to do.</p><p>“Bo, hey. If you don’t keep this sports drink down, eat that yogurt, and take some medicine, then I’m dragging you to the hospital, and that’s final. Your body needs fluids and nutrients, and the only option to give you those that isn’t via drinking or eating, is via IV. And honestly it would hurt you less than throwing up.” Kuroo reasoned, and he kept in mind to speak more softly after noticing how Bokuto had bleached suddenly,</p><p>“If you want, we can go to the ER now, and you would probably be at home before Akaashi comes. But if you don’t want to go there, then you need to do what I ask you. Please, man, work with me here.”</p><p>Bokuto pondered for an instant, before he gave a reluctant nod. Kuroo breathed out in relief, and handed the bottle to his friend. Slowly, gingerly, the sick man's trembling lips approached the rim of the bottle, and he downed a couple of tiny, shy sips.</p><p>The drink wasn't sitting too well in his stomach, but Bokuto summoned his every tiny bit of residual strength to keep it down.</p><p>He didn't need to worry Kuroo, he didn't need to be a burden just because he wasn't entirely okay. </p><p>“C-can I h-have some yogurt, pl-please?” he asked, sweaty brow furrowed and failing to mask his sickness. He plastered a tiny smile, to look more convincing.</p><p>From Kuroo's perspective, Bokuto looked like he'd just got kicked in the guts, given from the not-so-fine tremble that was running through his body, and from the sickly shade of pastry grey that his skin had taken.</p><p>Yet, he decided that if Bokuto was saying that he was up for it, then he needed to take advantage of the situation: Kuroo grabbed the yogurt cup and opened it for his friend, before handing it to him along with the tiny spoon he’d brought. </p><p>“You don’t actually need to eat <em> all </em>of it, alright? Half will be enough, for now.” Kuroo said, stomach lurching worriedly at the thought that maybe feeding Bokuto now wasn’t the right thing to do.</p><p>But it was too late, anyway, because the ill man had already downed two spoonfuls of sweetened fermented milk, grip on the steel utensil weak and shaky, cheeks puffing as sour, soundless burps escaped his pale lips. </p><p>Bokuto felt faint, clammy and <em> wrong, </em>but there was no way that he was going to puke again; that would have meant worrying Kuroo, and Akaashi, and ruining everyone’s night just because his stomach wasn’t handling the situation well. But he was a grownup, Bokuto thought to himself as he breathed through his nose, and grownups can take care of themselves properly.</p><p>He didn’t need to let anyone down. He didn’t need to be a burden. He didn’t need to show everyone just how big of a baby he was being. So he kept downing the slimy apricot yogurt, breaths choked as his throat filled up with acidic bile that he promptly swallowed back.</p><p>Bokuto could still feel Kuroo’s piercing gaze on him, and despite being the exact opposite of what the former Nekoma captain wished for, his staring only increased Bokuto’s anxiety and fear of messing everything up <em> again. </em></p><p>Before he realised it, Kuroo’s hands took the cup away from him, but he didn’t have the strength to lift his gaze and ask him why, nor to resist. Instead, he let his now-empty hands flop dully on his lap, gaze glued to his sweaty palms. He felt himself being pushed against the headboard, pillows propped behind his back, foreign handsー <em> no, </em> they were Kuroo’s, he knew it, he <em> knew </em>itー touching his forehead, shoulders, arms, and eventually cradling his hands in a delicate and supportive grip.</p><p>Golden eyes blinked sheepishly, cloudier than a few instants prior, and Bokuto let his head sag, mouth slightly agape.</p><p>“You take a nice, long nap.” Kuroo encouraged, smiling, though worry seeped evidently through the façade.</p><p>“I’m going to wake you up in an hour to check up on you and make you drink a bit more, if you’re up for it. I’ll be right there,” he said, pointing at the chair by what he knew was Akaashi’s desk, “so don’t worry about anything, Bo. Now rest.” and when he finished talking, Bokuto’s blurry world was already lights-out.</p><p>He didn’t know how long it had been, but when he woke up, Bokuto thought that If hell existed, then he was definitely already experiencing it. His skin was scorching, and he felt like his inner organs were slowly and inexorably melting, and yet he couldn’t stop shaking, goosebumps making his skin itch.</p><p>The bitter taste of copper mixed with the sour bile stuck in the back of his throat, choking him up. He scanned the room, frantic and clouded eyes struggling to focus on anything in particular. With extreme strain, Bokuto managed to prop himself up on his weak elbows, neck stiff and sore, aching uncontrollably as the man moved his head around.</p><p>“Keiji?” he called, whispers barely audible.</p><p>“Keiji? Ba-by?” he repeated, voice watery.</p><p>Where was Akaashi?</p><p>Had his husband left him alone? Had he been abandoned, at last?</p><p>That only made sense.</p><p>It perfectly added up, Bokuto reasoned.</p><p>And yet, he didn’t want to give up.</p><p>“M’sorry I was annoyin’, pl’se dun leave me, Keiji.” he murmured, eyes half-lidded, “M’okay now, y’can come back. I wo-n’t bother y’anymore. I’ll make it u-up t’you, baby.” he explained, positively delirious.</p><p>Bokuto could see something moving in the corner of his eyes, but didn’t dare look at whatever it was. Instead, he attempted to stand.</p><p>That didn’t go well, as he fell on his knees hard with a muffled thud. Shadows danced in the adjacent bathroom, and Bokuto’s expression lit up for an instant.</p><p>“Keiji? M’coming, wait f-for me.”</p><p>Bokuto crawled all the way to the bathroom, and instinctively locked the door behind his back. Suddenly, everything felt too tight, too crowded, and he was choking on air, on bile, on the anxiety that clawed at his chest and guts.</p><p>He was alone, <em> alone alone alone alone alone alone alone alone alone aloneー </em></p><p>Bokuto forgot how to breathe. He couldn’t see anything more than shadowy outlines, couldn’t hear more than a shrilling ring echoing in his throbbing skull. He felt tingly and scared and <em> wrong. </em> He jerked forward, heaving a mouthful of red-tinged bile, before his head collided with the soiled tiles, and he knew no more.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kuroo groaned in frustration at the almost-empty cupboards. He doubted that Akaashi had left without at least giving Bokuto a list of the groceries to get, and in fact he could very much see the piece of paper pinned to the fridge with an owl-shaped magnet.</p><p>So why, <em> why </em>hadn’t Bokuto gone to the store and bought some food? Was he planning on running on empty until Akaashi’s return?</p><p>Still, the grey-haired man had become rather responsible since he’d started officially dating his current husband, as soon as the latter graduated, and even more after the two had gotten married a year prior. This led Kuroo to the conclusion that Bokuto had probably been sick ever since Akaashi had left, two days ago.</p><p>“That idiot.” he growled, and clicked his tongue.</p><p>That’s when he heard the sound of the bathroom’s door squeaking close, and getting locked. For a brief instant, Kuroo wondered if he’d imagined everything. Bokuto wouldn’t have locked himself in the stall while sickー the sound of someone retching snapped Kuroo out of his utopian fantasy.</p><p>“Bokuto!” he yelled, running toward the room. He grabbed at the handle and shook it violently, snarling like a feral beast.</p><p>“Bo..? Bo. Hey, if you don't answer me within the next ten seconds, I'm dragging your ass to the ER pronto, you hear me? Bokuto, I'm serious.” Kuroo growled, worry edging over his voice as he pressed one ear against the door, holding his own breath and waiting for the faintest sign of life.</p><p>And it never came.</p><p>Not ten seconds later, nor fifteen.</p><p>Almost half a minute had passed, and not the faintest sound could be heard coming from the bathroom.</p><p>“Fucking shit, Boー Kōtarō!” Kuroo yelled, panic washing over him like a bucket filled to the brim with freezing water had been poured on his naked body. </p><p>He slammed strong fists against the door as he called his friend’s name again, to no avail. The hinges clanked and squeaked, but never broke.</p><p>Still, Kuroo had seen Kenma play enough videogames to know how to break a door downー he knew that they could’ve come in handy at some point, though he wished it had been under widely different circumstances.</p><p>Taking a single step back, he inhaled shakily, and brought his strongest foot up, slowly making it connect with the door, just next to the doorknob. He took a couple of tentative swings, before kicking with all the strength in his body.</p><p>Three times were enough, and the door broke eventually.</p><p>And there was Bokuto, laying face-down on the floor in a puddle of his own refuse, trembling slightly despite being evidently unconscious. His skin was ashen, the sickly grey tinge so unnatural compared to Bokuto’s normal complexion. Kuroo ran to his side and crouched down in front of him, shaky hands hovering with uncertainty, debating whether or not it was okay to move him.</p><p>On the one hand, he didn’t know if his friend had fallen and hit his head or simply slumped on the floor from a semi-sitting position, so moving him was risky.</p><p>On the other hand, Kuroo had been just outside the bathroom the whole time, and he hadn't heard a loud-enough thud that could have indicated that Bokuto had fallen. </p><p>Kuroo swallowed the lump in his throat and placed one hand on the man’s shoulder blade, shaking him slightly and putting his face near his ear.</p><p>“Bokuto, Bokuto! Oi, wake up, you idiot! I swear to all that is holy that I’m going to bring you back to life only to kill you again if you die!” Kuroo threatened, scared out of his mind and subconsciously trying to mask it with his poor sense of humor.</p><p>“Come on, open your eyes, don’t do this to me. Do it for me, open your eyes. Pl-please, Bo.” he insisted, the shaking getting more and more violent with each word. </p><p>And Bokuto stirred, just barely, and maybe it was just a twitch, an involuntary jerking movement, so Kuroo held his breath, hand on his friend’s back now still as death. But when Bokuto turned his head in a slow, sheepish movement, and blinked at Kuroo, the latter exhaled in relief, not minding the tears that were streaming down his eyes. </p><p>“K’roo..?” Bokuto called, voice barely audible.</p><p>“Yes, yes, it’s me. Oh fuck, Bokuto, I hate you so much.” the man hiccupped, failing to regain his composure; however, when he saw those golden and dazed eyes flutter close again, he nudged at his friend, and inhaled sharply.</p><p>“Bo, stay awake. We’re going to the hospital right now. Keep your eyes open or I swear to Godー Akaashi will have my head if I don’t get you help, so don’t you <em> dare </em>faint now.” he ordered.</p><p>Before Bokuto could reply (not that he had enough strength to do so, anyway), he was being lifted into a sitting position, the whole world twisting and swirling around him in dizzying spins.</p><p>He let his head sag backwards, but Kuroo gently grabbed it from behind and titled if forward, to allow Bokuto to rest in a more comfortable position and not to choke, eventually.</p><p>His face was matted in puke and sweat, and Kuroo felt his own skin crawl in disgust.</p><p>Without removing his hand from Bokuto’s shoulder, he extended his other arm and grabbed a towel, tossing it into the sink and opening the faucet to make the towel damp; he retrieved it and used the cloth to dab at the man’s dirty face, removing the traces of vomit and trying to provide even the slightest comfort.</p><p>If it had worked, Kuroo didn’t know, because Bokuto was staring at his lap, gaze unfocused and lost. Still, he was breathing, and his eyes were open, so Kuroo prayed that he was okay despite his looks. Once he was satisfied with his work, Kuroo made a dash for the bedroom and rapidly texted Akaashi.</p><p><b>me, 6:17 PM &gt;</b> I’m taking Bo to the hospital. I’ll explain once they get him help. I’m sorry, Akaashi. Please, don’t freak out.</p><p>After Kuroo hit send, he grabbed the backpack he’d come with and threw the unnecessary content aside, only leaving his water bottle and wallet.</p><p>Then, he rapidly grabbed a couple of fresh T-shirts for Bokuto, along with a few pairs of underwear and his wallet and phone. He didn’t have time to think about the rest, so he slung the backpack on his shoulder and dashed for the bathroom; Bokuto was still sitting up against the wall, head lolling limply, eyes open but only barely past a slit. </p><p>He dragged him to his feet without a word, and when he saw how little Bokuto’s could do at the moment, Kuroo decided to pick him up in bridal-style, and made his way toward the outside; despite being slightly taller than him, Kuroo was lighter than Bokuto, and had to put all those years of training at use when it came to walking with his semi-conscious friend to the car.</p><p>Kuroo didn’t care that he didn’t have his shoes on; he immediately opened the car, and gently lowered Bokuto into the backseat, laid on his side with his back turned to the front of the driver’s seat; the black-haired man tossed the backpack inside the car and ran inside to put his shoes on, grab the trashcan near the entrance after emptying its content on the floor, and close the door.</p><p>He jogged back to the car, hopping onto the vehicle.</p><p>“Bokuto? Bo, are you awake?” he called, starting the engine but not leaving just yet.</p><p>Instead, he turned around and positioned the trashcan in Bokuto’s arms, hoping that if the man was going to need it, he would have the strength to pull himself up a bit.</p><p>“Mhn…” </p><p>“Okay, I’ll take that as a yes. Stay alert, yeah? The hospital’s not too far away, fifteen minutes at most. I’ll avoid all of those stupid bumps, I promise.” he explained.</p><p>“I gave you a bucket, so please use it if you need it. If it’s bad, tell me and I’ll stop, but please try to hang on until we get there.” Kuroo said, running a hand across Bokuto’s back.</p><p>When the other man nodded, only barely, Kuroo turned around and drove away, sparing a worried glance at Bokuto from the rear-view mirror every time the road was empty enough to allow it.</p><p>Halfway through the drive, Bokuto whimpered loudly.</p><p>“K’roo,” he moaned, voice shaky and lined with panic and agony.</p><p>“I f-feelー” he was cut off by a shaky wheeze.</p><p>“Are you going to throw up?” Kuroo asked, unable to take his eyes off the road, worrying at his bottom lip as he chewed on it insistently,</p><p>“Fuck, alright. It's okay, you’re okay. Take a deep breath through your nose, and exhale from your mouth. Can you do that for me, please? Shit… The bucket’s right there, but if you can’t pick it up, don’t worry. I’m not mad, okay? I’m just worried. Breathe deep. I’m here with you, man.”</p><p>Bokuto hiccupped, though his voice was too breathless for Kuroo’s liking.</p><p>“I dunno, I feel b-bad.” he murmured, breath hitched and picked up.</p><p>The slightly younger man couldn’t see it, but Bokuto’s face had paled dramatically in the matter of a couple of seconds, skin alarmingly clammy and grey.</p><p>“What do you mean by ‘bad’? Talk to me,  please, and be more specific.” </p><p>“I d-dunno, m-my he-head...?” </p><p>“Your... head? What’s wrong? Is it spinning? Does it hurt?” Kuroo inquired, anxiety churning at his stomach.</p><p>“W-what are you feeling, exactly? Please, Bo.” He sounded desperate, and quite frankly, he was.</p><p>Kuroo was beyond terrified, and the fact that he was stuck in traffic was only making things worse.</p><p>He felt like <em> he </em>was going to throw up too.</p><p>“Bokuto, goddamnit, answer me!” Kuroo yelled, panic seizing at his guts, grip on the steering wheel tight. “What’s wrong!? I need to know, so answer me, for fuck’s sake!”</p><p>And with that, Bokuto shot up and assumed a sitting position, one hand gripping at the seat in front of him, the other pulling his own air; his breath was ragged and shallow, mouth agape, eyes wide-open and empty.</p><p>Kuroo gasped, eyes glued to the rear-view mirror. “Bokuto, whatー!”</p><p>Bokuto panted heavily, and blinked his eyes rapidly, tears forming at the corners.</p><p>“Can’t s-see, I c...” He trailed off, and slumped forward, head hitting against the passenger’s seat with a muffled thud.</p><p>“...Bokuto?” Kuroo called after a couple of seconds, mouth suddenly dry.</p><p>And when Bokuto didn’t answer, and instead flopped on his side, limp, Kuroo didn’t hesitate to pass the vehicles in front of him and speed away, not giving a <em> shit </em> about speeding tickets and whatnot; he just needed to get Bokuto to the hospital immediately, and waiting around like that, wasting precious time, could have cost his friend’s <em> life. </em></p><p>The five minutes of road were covered in two, and Kuroo almost hit a few cars as he sped to reach the parking lot directly in front of the ER. Tires screeched on the hot asphalt as he violently jammed on the breaks, immediately capturing the attention of the three EMTs that were standing just outside the entrance.</p><p>He swung the door open, fanned.</p><p>“Please, he needs help, now!” he yelled, and the volunteers ran toward him, wheeling a stretcher along.</p><p>Kuroo turned the engine off and exited the car, opening the doors of the backseats. he gestured to Bokuto’s unconscious form, trembling from head to toe as two of the EMTs started to work on getting the man out of there.</p><p>“Sir, calm down. My name’s Suzuki Daisuke, and these are Nakamura Hina and Hasegawa Koichi. We’re here to help him, so don’t fret. I need you to tell me what happened, please.” the man spoke calmly, trying to distract Kuroo from what the others were doing.</p><p>Said EMT then placed a delicate hand on Kuroo’s shoulder to provide some comfort and to also force him to take a couple of steps back so that his colleagues could work.</p><p>“Heー he’s had a fever for three days andー he kept puking and he fainted and I don’tー Bo couldn’t keep anything down and he justー!” Kuroo stuttered, in shock.</p><p>“I understand. What’s your name, sir?”</p><p>“Hm? Ku-Kuroo Tetsurō.”</p><p>“Alright, Kuroo-san, thank you. Are you a relative of the patient?”</p><p>“N-no, I’m his f-friend, but his husb-husband’s coming, he-he was in Kyōto, a-andー” Kuroo inhaled, sharply, feeling his own lungs squeeze and his head spin.</p><p>He squeezed his eyes shut, bending his knees and placing his hands on them.</p><p>The kind EMT patted his back soothingly, and when he raised his eyes again, he saw the other two wheeling Bokuto away. </p><p>“I ne-need to go with him, Iー” Kuroo pleaded.</p><p>“First, you need to park your car properly, please. Then, I’ll accompany you inside, and if you’d be able to provide information about the patient, it would be of great help.” the man spoke, slow and clear.</p><p>Kuroo nodded, shaky, and parked the car rapidly, given how the parking lot was blissfully almost entirely empty. He grabbed the backpack before following the EMT inside, legs feeling like jelly under the weight of his upset stomach.</p><p>The two reached a desk, from behind which a middle-aged nurse began asking questions about Bokuto.</p><p>Name, birthdate, address, blood type, pre-existing conditions, and a bunch of other questions that Kuroo answered to dully, feeling detached from reality, his own hands with which he’d been fiddling subconsciously now carrying a static-like sensation to his cold skin.</p><p>His ears hadn’t stopped ringing ever since Bokuto had passed out in the car, and he didn’t know if the people around him were moving slowly, or if he was the one to have a deceitful perception of reality.</p><p>He didn’t even realise he was moving until he felt himself being sat down on a plastic chair that squeaked under his weight; someone above him was talking, but their voice was muffled, words not making any logic sense into Kuroo’s head.</p><p>Only when a pair of hands grabbed his, fisted on his knees, Kuroo brought his chestnut-brown eyes up, and blinked.</p><p>“Kuroo-san,” said a young nurse, offering a warm, concerned smile, “are you okay? I brought you a cup of water. Please, drink it up.” she continued, and put a paper cup filled with cold water into Kuroo’s hands, that weren’t trembling as much as before, luckily.</p><p>The man drank in silence, eyes glued to the cup as the cool liquid soothed his throat. After a minute, the nurse rose from her crouched position, and retrieved the empty cup from the man’s hands.</p><p>“My name’s Yamazaki Ren. I was sent here to talk to you about…” she glanced at the small folder in her hands, “Bokuto Kōtarō-san, right. Do you need another minute?” </p><p>“N-no, m’okay, please tell me everything.” he said promptly, sitting up more upright. She smiled, nodding.</p><p>“I’m afraid I can’t tell you ‘everything’, as you’re not Bokuto-san’s relative, but what I can tell you is that your friend will be okay.” she started, but Kuroo still held his breath.</p><p>“After he was brought in, roughly twenty minutes ago, the doctors examined him and concluded that bacteria in Bokuto-san’s intestines led him to his current state, and the emergency examinations confirmed the theories, since we received the results only a few minutes ago and they proved the doctors’ hypothesis correct." she stopped, to check if Kuroo was still following. He was.</p><p>"Bokuto-san was brought in with a 40.2°C fever, and severe dehydration, which we assume were caused by continuous emesis. We’re now monitoring him and providing antibiotics and fluids via IV, and he probably won’t be able to leave the hospital for a couple of days, but we have the situation under control.” she finished, closing the folder and offering a supportive smile.</p><p>Kuroo blinked. “T-twenty minutes? B-but we’ve been here o-only for f-five?” he stuttered.</p><p>She hissed under her breath, sympathetic, “I’m afraid not. Our records state that Bokuto-san was taken in by the EMTs at 6:31 PM, and it’s…” she checked her watch, “...6:53 PM now. You’ve been sitting here for a while, Kuroo-san, but the other nurses and I opted to wait for you to calm down on your own before intervening.” the nurse explained, voice soft.</p><p>“It’s not uncommon for someone in shock to have a flawed perception of time and dissociate, so you have nothing to be afraid of. You did great, Kuroo-san.”</p><p>He only nodded, swallowing loudly, his breath shaky and shallow; still, he forced himself to inhale slowly, attempting to clear his head and lessen the effects of the dizzy spell he was under.</p><p>“C-can I see him, please?” he asked, sounding smaller than ever.</p><p>“Someone will come to get you soon, I promise. My colleagues just need to finish some paperwork and check a few other things before they can let visitors in.” she explained,</p><p>“Speaking of visitors, when they asked you to contact Bokuto-san’s husband, you only mumbled his name, but we were not able to get his phone number from you. Are you calm enough to give him a call, Kuroo-san? If not, we can do that for you if you could provide his number.” the nurse offered.</p><p>Kuroo shook his head, and reached for his phone, still buried in his pocket.</p><p>“I’ll call him n-now.” he said, having a little trouble when it came to unlocking his phone.</p><p>“Thank you, Kuroo-san. Is there anything else I can do for you before leaving? Would you like another cup of water?”</p><p>“No, m’fine. Th-thank you so much.” he smiled, weak, eyes droopy.</p><p>She bowed her head slightly and left, leaving Kuroo all alone with his thoughts.</p><p>He glanced at the screen, and cringed as he saw that Akaashi had called him six times and sent him more than fifteen texts. He selected the contact and brought his phone closer to his ear.</p><p>Akaashi picked up immediately.</p><p><em> “Kuroo-san! Kuroo-san, what’s going on? Please, tell me he’s okay. Please, tell me Kōtarō’s okay!” </em> he cried on the other end of the line, his stone-cold façade crumbling like a sandcastle.</p><p>“Th-they brought him in about twenty minutes ago,” Kuroo spoke, voice low and spent,</p><p>“the nurse said he’s going to be alright, b-but I haven’t seen him yet, I can’t go in yet bec-because they need to finish up with s-something?” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose to will the headache that had formed behind his eyes away.</p><p>The other was silent for an instant, before Kuroo heard him exhale softly.</p><p><em> “Are you alright, Kuroo-san?” </em>he asked, timid.</p><p>“Wha’? Yeah, m’okay.” Kuroo lied, “S’just… I'm sorry, Akaashi, I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't make it in time, Iー I should've called an ambulance immediately. B-but when heー I didn't think ofー I didn't know what t-to do! This is all my fault."</p><p>Kuroo inhaled a shaky breath, feeling sick.</p><p>"All my fault. If I'd jumped into action sooner, he wouldn't beー Bo wouldn't have ended up like this.” he whispered, voice watery.</p><p><em> “Kuroo-san, no, please don’t blame yourself. You helped in the best way possible, and you made the right choice by taking Kōtarō to the hospital when you did.” </em> Akaashi reassured him, tone calm and warm.</p><p><em> “I owe you everything for helping my husband, and I apologise for putting you through this indecent amount of stress. It should have been me, and I was an idiot for not coming back sooner. I should have taken the train when Kōtarō called me almost ten hours ago. I would have been there by now, and you would have been with Kozume-san.” </em> he paused, and Kuroo heard him exhale a long and shaky breath.</p><p>
  <em> “This is all my fault, Kuroo-san. Forgive me, and please let me know if there is anything I can ever do for you.” </em>
</p><p>And Kuroo knew that Akaashi was bowing his head, somewhere on the <em> shinkansen </em>he was on. He smiled to himself, despite everything.</p><p>“To be fair, I think that the one to blame is, with all due respect, that stupid owl-husband of yours.”</p><p><em> “Oh, definitely. He’s never going to hear the end of it for not voicing his problems sooner. If he’d asked for help yesterday, he wouldn’t have ended up there.” </em> Akaashi said, tone stern.</p><p>
  <em>“Once Kōtarō’s healthy again, I’m going to lecture him. And give him the silent treatment for a couple of days, without telling him why I’m doing it. He will know. Plus, he’ll taste his own medicine.” </em>
</p><p>“Silent treatment for two whole days? That would land Bo to his grave, Akaashi.” Kuroo joked, “I mean, as much as he needs to learn from his mistakes, I don’t want him to actually die for that.”</p><p>Akaashi chuckled, <em> “You’re right, Kuroo-san. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll contact my family and ask them to take your place, so that you can go home and relax.” </em></p><p>“Wait, doesn’t your family live, like, half an hour away from here? There’s no need to disturb them at this hour, man. I’ll stay, don’t worry!”</p><p>
  <em> “Butー” </em>
</p><p>“It’s fine, Akaashi, really. I’ll keep Bo company until you get here, I wouldn’t want him to get lonely in a hospital, poor guy. I’ll go get something to eat until they call me in, and then I’ll try to keep Bo calm in the meantime. You just take a little nap, alright? Wouldn’t want you to get too stressed.” Kuroo said.</p><p><em> “...Okay. Thank you, Kuroo-san. For everything. I’ll treat you to some good sushi soon.” </em> Akaashi offered, knowing how much Kuroo loved fish.</p><p>
  <em>“I’ll hang up now. Call me if you need anything, or if there are any changes, please.” </em>
</p><p>“Sure thing, and the same goes for you. See ya.” and with that, he ended the call. Kuroo stood on shaky legs and made his ways to the vending machines nearby, buying a bottle of unsweetened tea and a couple of onigiri to consume while he waited for the nurses to allow him in.</p><p>As he was about to take the first bite, the door of Bokuto’s room slid open, and a nurse poked his head out.</p><p>“Kuroo-san?”</p><p>The man nodded, frantic, and shoved everything in the backpack, jogging toward the door.</p><p>“How is he? Is he going to be okay?”</p><p>“Yes, of course. Bokuto-san is stable, he’s not in danger anymore.” the nurse nodded, “You brought him here at the right time, Kuroo-san. Another hour and the patient could have faced more serious consequences. He’s resting now.” the nurse said; he finally allowed Kuroo to enter the room, and guided the man toward the bed where Bokuto was resting.</p><p>His skin was still unnaturally pale, but less alarmingly than before, and the flush on his cheeks wasn’t as deep. Two IVs were connected to the back of his left hand and to his arm, and an oximeter was clipped on his left index. Bokuto’s chest was rising and falling slowly, and he snored softly.</p><p>“Don’t try to wake him up; if he wakes on his own, call a nurse. You may eat, but don’t feed him anything, please. The button’s right here, feel free to use it if you need any help.” the man informed methodically while he smiled, pointing at the red button behind the bed.</p><p>After that, he bowed his head and left. Kuroo fiddled with the collar of his shirt, and sat down on the stool next to the bed.</p><p>He took the onigiri out of the backpack and started munching on it, gaze fixed on his friend, darting from his chest to his face, to check for any signs of improvement or danger. With his free hand, Kuroo grabbed his phone.</p><p><b>me, 6:59 PM &gt;</b> hey, Akaashi (*・ω・)ﾉ they let me in, Bo’s sleeping now. He seems okay. They said he is. I’ll text again when he wakes up, okay? (ᵔ.ᵔ)</p><p><b>Akaashi Keiji, 7:00 PM &gt;</b> That’s wonderful news. Thank you, Kuroo-san. I will rest my eyes for a bit, but I’ll keep my earphones on, so that I’ll wake up when you call me. Thank you again, I am beyond grateful for what you’re doing.</p><p><b>me, 7:01 PM &gt; </b>don’t be so formal, you make me feel old (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) see you later, sleep well!</p><p>After that, he selected Kenma’s contact, shivering at the eighty-three unread emails. </p><p><b>me, 7:01 PM &gt; </b>hiii kitten (=^･ω･^=) sorry for not replying sooner. Bokuto’s condition was worse than what Akaashi and I imagined, and I ended up taking him to the hospital ~(&gt;_&lt;~) he’s okay now, he’s sleeping. How are you doing? (´ ε ` )♡</p><p><b>Kitten (=^･ｪ･^=), 7:02 PM &gt;  </b>Oh shit. Is Bokuto-san okay? Are you okay? How can you use kaomoji at a time like this? I can’t believe you. I’m coming over.</p><p><b>me, 7:03 PM &gt;</b> there’s no need to! I know hospitals make you uncomfy, please stay at home. And yeah, Bo’s fine, the doctors said they have the situation under control, luckily. </p><p><b>me, 7:09 PM &gt;</b> have you had dinner yet? Don’t forget to eat!</p><p><b>me, 7: 15 PM &gt;</b> ...Kyanma? (・_・ヾ</p><p>Kuroo hummed to himself, cocking a dark eyebrow. It was unusual for Kenma not to reply almost instantly, but he figured that his husband was probably busy with a game, so he didn’t insist.</p><p>He slid the phone in his pocket, cursing as he witnessed that the battery was only at 12%, and uncapped the bottle of tea, drinking a few sips.</p><p>And in that instant, just as Kuroo pulled the bottle away from his lips, he saw Bokuto’s hand twitching in the corner of his eye. The man stilled entirely, breath caught in his throat. Bokuto’s hand moved again, and he curled a fist weakly.</p><p>The golden eyes were still shut, but his face was scrunched up in a slightly pained expression.</p><p>Kuroo extended one arm to press the emergency button, but a trembling hand caught his wrist before he could do so, grip unsteady and weary.</p><p>“Kuroo?” Bokuto called, voice feeble. And that was the best sound that the black-haired man had heard today. He nodded, and Bokuto offered the tiniest, most spent smile ever.</p><p>“What happened?” he whispered, looking bemused.</p><p>“You’re an idiot, that’s what happened!!” Kuroo seethed, no real anger in his words.</p><p>“Fuck, Bo, I was so scared. Don’t ever do that again or I swear on all that’s holy that I will kill you myself.” he said, and gently wrapped his arms around his friend, holding him tight enough to feel his presence, but not enough to actually jostle him excessively.</p><p>“I’m so glad you’re okay, you idiot.”</p><p>Bokuto grinned, despite being confused, and let his right hand rise and place itself onto Kuroo’s back, rubbing it, “M’sorry, bro, m’so sorry.” he said, “I don’t… remember much, but m’sorry I caused y’ trouble.”</p><p>His words were slurred and made him sound like he was downright drunk, but he was forming coherent sentences and, to Kuroo, that was all that really mattered, now.</p><p>“Seriously, though, what happened? I feel like shit...”</p><p>“Yeah, wait, I need to call a nurse that will check up on you, first.” Kuroo said, and pressed the button, “There, someone will be here soon. What’s the last thing you remember?”</p><p>Bokuto shrugged, “I… was in the bathroom, and I think I threw up. That’s it.”</p><p>“Well, long story short, you passed out in your own vomit and again on the way to the hospital.” Kuroo bit, crossing his arms.</p><p>“This wouldn’t have happened if you’d asked for help sooner, you know? What kind of idiot are you, for not warning anyone when you’re this sick? Seriously, Bo. I was scared shitless, I still am. And Akaashi is too, he’s worried beyond limits, and you know better than me how he gets when he’s anxious.” he said, and maybe he should’ve stopped there.</p><p>He knew he should have.</p><p>But he didn’t.</p><p>“I don’t get it. Do you not trust us enough to ask for help? I understand not asking<em> me, </em> but Akaashi, your literal husband? If he hadn't called me and asked me to check up on you, you’d probably be dead, drowned in your own vomit with a fever over the roof! Youー fucking shit, what you did, or better, what you didn’t do was too risky. You do realise it, don’t you?" Kuroo fretted.</p><p>"You could have died. It was a <em>real</em> possibility. If Akaashi hadn’t called me, and if you’d decided to keep your illness a secret, you could be dead now. Dead, Bokuto!” he said, and he was practically yelling now, sitting up from the chair and hunched over the bed.</p><p>Bokuto looked at him with tired eyes, lined with...  fear?</p><p>Kuroo inhaled to continue on with his rambling, his face red, but just as he was about to speak, a sob tore through Bokuto’s throat. And that made Kuroo snap back into reality.</p><p>He watched as Bokuto’s face crumpled, chin twitching as he stifled sobs to no avail, hands clutching onto the sheets tightly; fat, warm tears rolled down the man’s cheeks, and his whole figure shook. </p><p>Kuroo bit his lower lip as regret washed over him instantly. “Oh, no. Bokuto, man, I’mー”</p><p>“M’sorry. M’so fuckin’ s-sorry, Kuroo.” Bokuto wailed, head sagging forward as he shook it feebly, “I didn’t w-want to make y-you and Keiji wo-orry so much f-for me. I w-was scared and- and it hu-urt too much and I d-didn’t knowー I couldn’t do anyth-anything on my own.” he hiccupped, back arched forward as he pulled at his hair,</p><p>“I th-thought I could’ve s-solved it by mys-myself without anno-oying anyone, b-but it g-got out of hand and I- I didn’t...” he trailed off, full-on sobbing.</p><p>Kuroo wanted to smack himself for what he’d done. His friend was already vulnerable enough in this situation, and he’d only added salt to the wound.</p><p>Nice friend he was.</p><p>“Bo, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have yelled at you, I’m an asshole.” he said, a hand delicately caressing his friend’s back, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. You were scared too, of course you were. I shouldn’t have blamed you, I’m a real jerk, don’t think of what I said. I’m sorry, Bo, I really am.” he murmured.</p><p>“Hey, no, don’t pull at your hair, don’t hurt yourself further.” Kuroo then added, and gently led Bokuto’s hands away.</p><p>The other man kept crying, snot and tears staining the thin blanket draped on his legs, and he shook his head vehemently with each apology he hiccupped. The nurse arrived at that moment, and after Kuroo briefly explained the situation, he left to give Kuroo a couple of minutes to calm his friend down. </p><p>“Bo, please don’t cry. It’s okay, you’re okay now. Look at me, please.” he called, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling his crying friend into a tight embrace.</p><p>“There, there, it’s all good, yeah? Akaashi’s gonna be here soon, and he’s going to cuddle with you and give you plenty of love, I bet. I’m sorry, man. I’m so sorry. I was a bad friend, I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you, I’m so sorry, dude.” Kuroo repeated, over and over, guilt consuming him.</p><p>He meant every apology. </p><p>“I j-just di-didn’t want to ma-ake a big deal out of-of this, m’sorry!” Bokuto cried, shaking his head into Kuroo’s shoulder.</p><p>“It’s m-my fault that Ke-Keiji had to l-leave the seminar, and I was-wasted your ev-evening, m’sorry, I didn’tー” </p><p>“No, no, it’s not your fault. Akaashi’s more than happy to be on his way home, and I don’t regret staying by your side one bit. As long as you’re okay now, I am too. Oh, hey, I have an idea.” Kuroo pulled away, smiling softly.</p><p>“What if we call Akaashi after the nurse visits you? Does that sound okay?”</p><p>Bokuto nodded, drying the tears with the back of his free hand, but his bottom lip was still trembling, and the tears didn’t seem to be stopping. At least, Kuroo noticed, his breathing was slowing down, which was amazing.</p><p>The nurse arrived a minute later, and escorted Kuroo out of the room while he conducted the examination. In the meantime, Kuroo sent a quick text to Kenma, who still hadn’t replied.</p><p>He wanted to text Akaashi too, but he figured that he would’ve enjoyed the surprise more if he didn’t warn him about Bokuto waking up just yet.</p><p>Glancing at the clock, the man noticed that he’d been in the hospital for about an hour now, and sighed. On the one hand, it felt like an eternity, but on the other he was beyond thrilled that Bokuto’s significant improvement had taken place in such a short time. It had been a close call.</p><p>
  <em> Too close. </em>
</p><p>Someone approached him from his side, and he briefly glanced at the presence, before he almost dropped his phone as he shot up from the chair.</p><p>“Kenma!”</p><p>“Tetsu, baby.” Kenma smiled, throwing himself at his husband and hugging him tight, standing on his toes due to the significant difference in their heights.</p><p>“I came as fast as I could. I was worried.”</p><p>“Youー how?” Kuroo stuttered, not letting go. “Why did you come here? You hate places like this, don’t you?”</p><p>“I hate them, but I hate the thought of you being here alone more.” Kenma sighed, “How’s Bokuto-san doing? What did the doctors say?”</p><p>“He’s fine, they said he’s fine. He woke up a few minutes ago, and now the nurse’s checking on him, but he’s okay.” Kuroo explained.</p><p>“I was justー it was terrible, Kenma, I was freaking the fuck out. Shit, I thought he’d… When he passed out like that, I thought he’d died. He wasn’t moving, a-and he didn’t answer me, I thoughtー” </p><p>“Shhh, Tetsu, it’s okay. You said he’s fine, didn’t you? You saw him, he’s alright.” Kenma said in a reassuring manner, and made Kuroo sit down, taking a seat next to his. “He’ll be out of here soon. Don’t worry, you did great. You’re a wonderful friend, Tetsu.”</p><p>Kuroo shook his head and propped his elbows on his knees, skull resting in his hands.</p><p>“No, no, I y-yelled at him. I’m a jerk.”</p><p>“Please, you have to calm down. You’re both a bit emotional now, and it’s okay, this is a delicate situation and you found yourselves in a bad place. You apologised, didn’t you?”</p><p>“Y-yeah, but I made him c-cry.” Kuroo sniffed, choking on air, “I shouldn’t have yelled at him, Kenma. Fuck, I’m horrible.”</p><p>“I know you didn't mean it, and he does, too. You can’t do anything about it now. You helped him, and you apologised. I’m sure he knows you didn’t mean any harm, okay? Give Bokuto-san some time.” Kenma spoke softly.</p><p>Despite the fact that the gamer was definitely out of his element, he knew what needed to be said in order to calm Kuroo down. And it worked, eventually.</p><p>The nurse left Bokuto’s room, and approached Kuroo, bowing his head slightly to Kenma as well.</p><p>“Bokuto-san’s fever is down to 39.5°C, but he won’t be discharged before it drops of another couple of degrees, given the circumstances. Apart from that, he seems to be responding well to the antibiotic treatment, as there have been no complications so far. I’m positive that Bokuto-san will be alright soon." he paused.</p><p>Kuroo nodded for him to continue, signaling that he had understood everything so far.</p><p>"Of course, he’ll have to take it easy for a week after being discharged, though the nurse in charge will tell you this again, or whomever is staying by Bokuto-san’s side, just before they let him out.” he spoke.</p><p>“We expect his fever to break in the next few hours, so he may experience dizziness and shivering. As soon as he starts to display those symptoms, please alert a nurse. One of us will come to check up on him in one hour.” the nurse finished.</p><p>Kuroo and Kenma thanked him, and the man left with a faint, professional smile. </p><p>Kenma glanced at Kuroo, and put a tiny, gentle hand on the man’s back.</p><p>“Go see him.” he murmured, but his husband shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat. </p><p>“He’s probably angry at me. I don’t want to upset him more.”</p><p>“So? That doesn’t mean that he will never talk to you again. Plus, I’m sure that after these many years of friendship, Bokuto-san knows how to tell your fear-induced yells and your anger-induced yells apart. You’ll be fine.” Kenma nodded.</p><p>And that left no room for discussion, as he started to push Kuroo toward the room; the other didn’t resist.</p><p>He slid the door open, and peeked inside the white room: Bokuto was snoring softly, a thin blanket draped over his body.</p><p>Dark eyebags hug from under his eyes, and despite being unconscious, he still seemed utterly, entirely spent.</p><p>Kuroo’s heart squeezed in his chest, but he forced himself to make his way toward the bed. He gestured for Kenma to take the chair he was sitting on earlier, and went to retrieve another, placing it next to where the former setter was staying. </p><p>Kuroo’s eyes shone with tears, and Kenma immediately brought his hands to rest on the man's strong shoulders, squeezing them to let him know that he was not alone in this, and that everything was going to be fine. They sat like that, in silence.</p><p>Waiting.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kuroo had admittedly zoned out, and only realised so because someone was shaking him awake, gently. He blinked, a hand rising automatically to wipe the tiny trail of saliva staining the corner of his mouth.</p><p>“Kenma?” he called, stirring. And only then he realised an unfamiliar but oh-so-welcome presence in the room.</p><p>“Akaashi!”</p><p>The editor smiled, bowing his head deeply, “Kuroo-san, thank you for everything you have done for Bokuto, and for me as well. I will never be able to repay your kindness, but I will try to make amends forー”</p><p>Kuroo shot up from the chair that clattered to the floor, and wrapped Akaashi into a tight embrace, sniffling into his shoulder.</p><p>“Akaashi, I’m so sorry! F-fuck, Akaashi, this is all my fault, I should’ve paid more attention!”</p><p>Akaashi was stunned, but he awkwardly reciprocated the hug, despite not being entirely comfortable with bodily contact that didn’t come from his husband.</p><p>“Not at all, Kuroo-san. You have nothing to apologise for. It was me who should have been more thoughtful and careful. I’m very sorry for putting you through this draining experience.”</p><p>“No, Akaashi, it’s not that. It’s my fault entirely, Iー”</p><p>“Geez, guys, get a room already.”</p><p>“Shut up, Bokutoー oooh fuck, Bo!?” Kuroo exclaimed. Bokuto was grinning from his semi-horizontal position, arms resting on his stomach, a peaceful and slightly drugged expression clouding his eyes.</p><p>“You’re awake!”</p><p>“Have been for the past ten minutes, but thank you for noticing.” he bit, sarcastic. Kuroo blinked at him, and then at Akaashi and Kenma.</p><p>The former Fukurōdani setter nodded, fixing the glasses on his nose, “I have been here for the past fifteen minutes, being lucky enough to arrive just before Kōtarō woke up. But you, Kuroo-san, were getting your well-deserved rest, so I did not dare wake you.”</p><p>Kuroo fumbled for words, “How long was I asleep?”</p><p>“Just about an hour, plus a few minutes of dozing in and out of consciousness. You were in distress, and a nurse who came in earlier and recognized you told me that it was bound to happen.” Kenma supplied, putting a warm hand on the man’s shoulder.</p><p>“I would have woken you up in case of emergency, but nothing happened. I only woke you up because I think we should give Akaashi-san and Bokuto-san some privacy, at last.”</p><p>The black-haired man nodded, still bemused. He stood up on shaky legs, and all but threw himself on Bokuto, who huffed out with a groan, but eventually accepted the embrace.</p><p>“You scared me so fucking much, Bo.” Kuroo whispered, choking on tears, “Don’t do that again. Please, don’t <em> ever </em>do that again.”</p><p>Akaashi hummed, “Why didn’t you ask for help sooner, Kō? You’re too important to me, to <em> us, </em> we don’t want to see you suffer. It’s okay to rely on others, love. Please, it’s fundamental that you understand this.” he said, and heat rose to Bokuto’s face.</p><p>It was unusual for his husband to call him ‘love’ in public. </p><p>Kenma and Kuroo nodded from their position, and Bokuto’s thick eyebrows arched in embarrassment, a hand rising to scratch the back of his neck as his gaze shied away.</p><p>“I just didn’t want to burden anyone. It wasn’t that serious at first, and I thought I could’ve…” he trailed off, chin twitching as he stifled a sob. “I didn’t want to be annoying as usual.”</p><p>“But you’re not.”</p><p>“Whaー?”</p><p>“You’re not ‘annoying’, you’re not a ‘burden’, Bo.” Kuroo said, “Who taught you this? Who taught you that thinking those things about yourself is okay?”</p><p>“Kuroo-san has a point. We have been working on this, Kō.” Akaashi cut in, while Kenma looked very much obviously out of his element, and limited himself to nod and hum.</p><p>The editor sat on the bed, and delicately cradled his husband’s hair, fingers gentle as they caressed the scalp.</p><p>“We all love you, we all care about your wellbeing and happiness. Has anyone you deeply care about ever told you anything like the things you said?”</p><p>Bokuto’s lips trembled, but he shook his head, “I just… I thought it would have been better to handle that by myself. M’sorry, everyone, so sorry.” he hiccupped, face wet once again.</p><p>Akaashi inhaled and exhaled softly, before he cradled the man’s head close to his chest, letting it rest there and feel Akaashi’s heartbeat.</p><p>Kuroo smiled gently, squeezing Bokuto’s knee, “I’m just glad you’re alright, man. It’s all that matters, now.” he explained, and Bokuto gave an understanding whine.</p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I promise to return your pants soon, though I might keep them as a souvenir of this terrifying experience.”</p><p>“I’ll keep yours, then, the ones you left at my place.” Bokuto grinned, looking exhausted all over again. Kuroo laughed, “As you wish, they’re drenched in <em> your </em>vomit, anyway. Now rest, idiot. I love you, Bo.”</p><p>Kenma waved his hand, and Akaashi and Bokuto returned the gesture. As Kuroo was about to follow his husband out of the room, Bokuto called his name again.</p><p>“Yeah?” Kuroo asked, blinking.</p><p>“I love you too, man. Thank you.” he breathed out softly.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>They said "no homo" afterwards!! Oh, wasn't planning on this to be longer than 3k words, but oh well. Also, I know that  MSBY Black Jackals are located in Ōsaka, but for narrative needs I needed Bokuto and Kuroo to live in the same city!!<br/>ー<br/>‼ Please, leave kudos and comments if you liked this ‼<br/>ー<br/>Find me on<br/><a href="http://theforgottendaydreamer.tumblr.com">my Tumblr blog</a><br/>ー<br/>I now have another blog exclusively for sickfics! I take requests for BNHA, Jujutsu Kaisen, Haikyuu!! and Yuuri!!! On Ice, find it <a href="http://i-write-anime-sickfics.tumblr.com">here</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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